


The Only Hope for Me

by guidingkey (halcyondreams)



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-29 21:30:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15082130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halcyondreams/pseuds/guidingkey
Summary: Yakuza AU. When Riku finds himself finally free from prison after seven long years, he finds that nothing is the same as he left it. It's up to him to reunite the people he used to call friends, and try to go against the same Yakuza family that he used to be a part of.





	The Only Hope for Me

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, the first chapter. Yikes. My first fanfic in way too long.

Riku had been in Kaikacho for all of five minutes when he was robbed. If even that long.

The sun was shining bright in the sky, hovering over the buildings and casting illumination on everything beneath it. Not even the shadows could last for long under its harsh gaze, but they seemed to grow with each passing second, as the sun sunk lower and lower. As if they were waiting for it to go away, so they could move once more and go as far as they wanted. To cause whatever mayhem they wanted. All around him, people hustled around, not bothering to wait for him to move out of their way. Not a word uttered to him, they just clacked those fancy shoes around him without a glance.

So when the kid bumped into Riku, he turned with him. His hand flew to his pocket to make sure, but the kid didn't wait that long. Brown orbs swiveled back long enough to see that he had been spotted -- and he bolted down the street.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Riku moaned to himself. The kid was wearing a nice pair of sneakers, a pair of camoflauge pants, and a sleeveless vest, along with a tank top, something Riku noticed as the pickpocket careened down the street. Riku, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of nice brown dress shoes, a black button down shirt, and a pair of beige slacks to pull off the full look. Not exactly the type of clothes to chase someone in. With the Japanese sun beginning to beat down on him, sweat had already begun to bead on his neck and his back. There was only one thing clear -- he wasn't ready for this.

Yet, within seconds, Riku shot after him. Those long legs pumped hard, harder than they had in the past ten years. The buildings shot past him, people jumped out of his way or were bowled over, but it didn't seem to change a damn thing about what Riku was doing. He followed after the kid, tracing him down the main thoroughfare and up a dingy alleyway. It occurred to him later that he should have been paying attention to exactly where it was he was going. He might have been able to figure out where he was going before he arrived. That wouldn't occur to him until after the chase was over.

The kid turned a corner suddenly, and Riku took the hard right after him. He was smart, at least; at the first trash can, he hooked a hand on the lip of it and tossed it behind him. Had it been anyone else, and he might have been able to get away with it. But this wasn't something that stopped Riku often, and definitely not this time around. He didn't even slow down -- he leaped over it as if clearing a hurdle for the Olympics, continuing as if nothing had happened. The blonde tried it again after taking another corner, to still no luck. The kid cursed under his breath, before making one final turn.

They came out into a small lot, between a few buildings. The pavement was broken, as if it had been recently torn up, and the dirt was fresh beneath. The blonde careened straight into the dead end, slapping up against the wall with a soft yelp, turning around. Riku was only a few seconds behind him, from the sound of those heels on the pavement. Before he knew it, Riku was there, the heels slowing to a halt. Riku's hair had blown back a bit, and the silver began to shimmer in the sun, welcoming it.

"Give it back," Riku said as he stuck his hand out. "Give me back my wallet." 

"I dunno what you're talking about, old man, and I find it insulting that ya think I was the one who took it."

"Oh, stop. You're the only person who came close enough to me."

"It's discrimination, is what it is! You gotta be all judgemental and shit, thinkin' I got your damn wallet. Ya sure ya didn't leave it at home, with your medication, old man?"

RIku let out a breath. He took a step forward, and then another one, those heels echoing off the walls around them. The kid kept staring at him. His hand began to move along the wall, as if seeking purchase on something he could pull out, but there was nothing in sight. "Sure. You're an endangered species. Give it back now."

"You and what army?" the kid challenged, those brown eyes sparking with determination. Yet, when brown orbs met aquamarine, they dulled a bit at the sight. There was something in them, something the kid couldn't place, but it was...something else. A sign, that perhaps he had chosen the wrong person to fuck with.

"Look. Just hand it over. I don't care about you, I just need that damn wallet. Give it over, I won't tell the police about you."

"Nah, old man. Yer not goin' anywhere."

The voice seemed to come out of nowhere. Riku stopped for a moment, before he let out a soft sigh. "Of course, you have your friends. Walked right into that," he muttered to himself.

Riku could hear them, rather than see them. The sound of sneakers on the ground behind him. The familiar noise of metal grinding on concrete. Granted, he didn't even need to hear that in order to know that they were armed. He had fallen right for the trap, hook, line, and sinker.

"Right. So, how about you spin your ass right back around and skeddadle out of here?" one of the people behind him said. A different voice. That was two so far. Riku didn't turn around yet. His eyes were glued on the blonde pickpocket, who seemed quite pleased with this turn of events; his mouth, once contorted with anxiety, was now smug.

"No."

The silence that ensued was deafening. Riku could hear the people chatting outside, even though they weren't even close to being near the main thoroughfares of Kaikacho. For those moments, Riku could even hear his own breath, coming a bit shorter than normal.

"What the fuck do you mean, no? Turn your ass around and show me some goddamn respect. You got no fuckin' clue who you're fuckin' with," the same voice uttered.

A hand shot out for his shoulder, and Riku reached up to grab it before it latched on completely. With that, he yanked forward and used his body as a fulcrum to send him to the floor in seconds, without even a moment's hesitation. He could see the kid beneath him after that; a weird tank top that seemed to need to be zippered, along with a sleeveless coat, a pair of burgundy sweats, and topped off with a black hat. Oh, how fashion had changed in the past ten years, it seemed. He stood up taller, turning around at that to look at the others that had come. Only two more, and only the black hat and the tanned jock seemed to have any weapons. The other person, a girl, seemed not to have any weapons, though Riku knew that meant nothing.

The jock started to move again. His hands gripped onto a metal baseball bat that he had brought with him. He shot a glare straight for Riku. "Ya bastard!" he shouted. He began to move forward, and swung the baseball bat back, as if he were preparing for a pitch. Riku tensed, a coil ready to spring.

"Wait!"

The jock stopped, dead in his tracks. As if they had practiced it. Riku took a moment to realize it was the girl who spoke up. Another silver-haired person, just like him, which made his lips coil up a bit in a wry grin.

"What the fuck do you mean, 'wait', Fuu? We stick together, meanin' anyone who attacks the boss is an enemy, y'know?" the jock uttered, the chains around his neck beginning to clink together. Riku wasn't looking at that, though. No, his eyes had fallen to a small pin that was on the girl named Fujin's own sleeveless coat. A small silver pin that evoked a lot of things Riku preferred to keep down.

"I mean...do you not know him? Look at him for a second, Rai. Silver hair. Those...blue-green eyes. The shirt. There's only one person that could be," Fuu replied coolly. "Think about it, long and hard."

It took him a few moments. It wasn't even Rai who got it. The blonde pickpocket was the one who spoke up. "The Demon. The Demon of Saitou," he uttered, his shit-eating voice faded into one of sheer reverence.

At the name, Riku flinched. "Don't call me that," he muttered.

It sunk in for the remaining two guys in moments. Rai dropped the baseball bat. "No fuckin' shit..." he uttered. "The Demon is back? No fuckin' way." Another wince from Riku.

The black hat guy began to clamber to his feet. "A-ah! _Aniki_!" he said suddenly. It took him a moment, but he began to try and get back down on his knees so he could bend over in front of him. Riku's hand shot out, however, grabbing for his vest before he could do it.

"I'm not your _aniki_ ," Riku uttered, the hand on the guy's vest clutching tight enough to make the knuckles white. "Don't let anyone catch you calling me that. I'm a civilian now. I'm cut off."

"That's not what the boss said," Rai uttered. "He said that you were just...doin' some time."

"I don't have time to deal with that," Riku stated. He released the vest, which sent the black hat staggering for a moment. He walked back, towards the blonde pickpocket. "Let's try this again, now. Wallet, now."

It took a moment, but the blonde spurred to life with a nod. Those nimble fingers showed off again as he plucked the wallet out of his own pocket and stuck it out for Riku to take. The man reached out, snatched it back from him, and spun around on his heels. He pushed his way past Rai without another word. He shoved the wallet back into his pocket and, as he got to the alleyway entrance again, he turned back to look at the group of them standing there in the lot awkwardly, as if waiting for him to dismiss them.

"I'm not what you think I am," he said. "Not anymore." With that, he turned back and walked away, those heels clicking along the alley, echoing around him.

Within moments, Riku was back on the main streets, the crowds of people threatening to swallow him whole. He reached up and dusted off that nice button-down shirt as aquamarine orbs slid upwards. The lights in the city were on, blaring and bright; the place across the street from him had a loud red sign, one that was bright as hell and shone directly into his eyes. "GRAND OPENING", it read. There were quite a few people milling about inside of the shop. It took him a bit of time to realize what it was -- a drug store. Of all things. He closed his eyes for a moment. That's what it was. It used to be a soapland, a rather popular one at that. He could remember the blacked out windows to keep privacy, even the occasional girl who would come out onto the street to entice passing men in with their looks and their sizable breasts. He also remembered all of the things that would happen inside of it -- not always a happy ending. He flinched at the memory and pushed it away without a second thought.

Next door, however, was still the sexy magazine store. He remembered going in there way younger than he should have, and managing to get a magazine. The owner was nice -- he didn't let Riku pick one out, he remembered, but he did find the most tame one. He could almost hear the man's words in his head now. "You both are going to find it anyway. Might as well give you a good one." Right, he wasn't alone. He had pooled his money together with...

Yet another flinch. No, he wasn't going to think about him yet.

But still, as he looked around, he could see the familiar shops still up, not advertising nearly as much as the newer ones, still getting by on their usual methods of enticing customers, with girls at the doors or even just going by word of mouth. That still worked, in a place like this.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same," he murmured quietly to himself, and shook his head. He couldn't get too roped into the memories, because he would just stand here forever. He needed a place to stay. He reached down and touched the pocket that hat his wallet in it, not dumb enough to tug it out. He mentally rifled through it. He had money, sure. But if he was going to end up staying in a hotel, that money was going to go, real fast. In his other pocket were a set of keys.

Right. He had a place. He had bought it during the incident all those years ago, paid cash so it would double as a safe house. He let out a soft breath as he thought of it, but he started to move once more. Only a couple people knew where it was -- though, if he was being honest, he didn't want to see any of them yet. Just the thought of them began to set his heart racing.

No other choice, though. He joined the crowd, not moving any faster so as not to make waves. He could clock all the people on the street that could be problematic, and he had no other way of hiding from them. If only he had a hoodie of some sort, but he was not the type to wear hoodies, not in a while at least. He kept his head down.

His hand moved upwards at some point and felt at the chain along his neck, clasping the charm at the end in his hand tightly. He hadn't felt its familiar weight in too many years. He was just...happy to have it back, at this point. Before the memories came, he released the charm once more, letting it fall back down to his chest, inert.

Riku turned at a corner and slipped into a building. It was the very definition of indiscreet; a small doorway, sandwiched between two bars. His fingers fished those keys out as he made his way up the stairs, two at a time, to the second floor. He walked over and unlocked the door, before he pushed it open.

He was expecting a layer of dust coating everything. He was expecting everything to be there pretty much exactly as he left it, without even a single thing having moved. He was expecting anything other than what he got.

The light was on.

He figured out why the light was on in moments.

"Who's there?!"

Riku found the whole situation mildly ironic. He should be the one asking who was in his own damn safe house. But he didn't take the time to enjoy the irony, nor did he take the time to see if he could actually recognize the voice that was accosting him. His initial reaction was to reach over to the coat rack that was to the right of him and force his hand through. It touched nothing but wall.

The gun wasn't there. He let out a soft curse. Of course it wasn't. The guy probably found it and held onto it. Some damn squatter, surely. He steeled himself, starting to walk down the hallway. The door slammed behind him, but Riku didn't even flinch.

He saw the gun first. The same one he bought with his own damn money, pointing straight at him. He stopped immediately. The blond hair was next; he could see it beginning to poke out from behind the wall as the man turned the corner. He knew exactly who it was before his face or even the rest of his body came into view.

"Roxas?"

The blonde froze as RIku called out his name, before he stepped out fully. Sure enough, that telltale hair was still spiky as hell. His cheekbones and jawline were sharp on his face, the pale skin merely accentuating those sapphire eyes. He was wearing a tank top, black, with a pair of boxers. "Glad to see you've made yourself comfortable," Riku said before he could stop himself.

Roxas was just staring at him for a few more moments. His thumb flicked at the safety idly, and it wasn't until he tried to lower the gun that Riku noticed his arm beginning to shake. The gun clattered to the floor, the only thing that either of them could hear. Riku stared at it for a moment, before he looked back up at his face.

Just in time for Roxas's fist to connect with his left cheek.

Riku staggered back with a noise of surprise, his hand reaching out to grab ahold of the wall in order to keep him in place. He looked up at Roxas slowly, aquamarine eyes meeting sapphire ones. His pale cheek was blossoming with red; shooting pain began to emanate from that spot on his face. Those blue eyes wavered, tears already beginning to spill before Riku could do anything.

He moved forward without another word. He didn't have to. His hand reached out, circled Roxas's wrist, and tugged him in close. With that, his arms slowly enveloped the smaller man in his broad grip. Roxas didn't say anything. His face buried into Riku's shirt, and he could feel that moistness beginning to seep in through his shirt. He didn't care. He just held onto Roxas tight, enjoying the first bit of positive physical contact he'd had in years.

After what felt like a million years, the blonde and the silver-haired man parted. Those sapphire eyes still showed a hint of water in them, but it had calmed for the moment. Riku didn't say anything more. What could he say? His introductory sentence was something else already. Mildly rude, when he thought about it, but he didn't know what else to say. Roxas spurred to life, though, and managed to get words out so Riku didn't have to.

“I...I didn't realize you were getting out today," he murmured. "I didn't even think..." He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Riku could fill in the blanks in his head. "I'm sorry. I would have driven you home. Or made sure you had money for a cab."

Riku waved his hand as he slipped out of his shoes, putting them to the side, near the entry way. "I still had money in my wallet. Thankfully, enough for me to get home. I'm starving, though. You wouldn't have happened to have gotten groceries, did you?" He wasn't waiting for an answer; he brushed past Roxas, unable to look at the watery-eyed blonde any longer. He made his way into the kitchen. Behind him, he could hear the patter of feet; Roxas, trailing after him. Of course. He tugged the fridge door open with a tinge of hope on his lips -- but there was nothing.

"A-ah...no, I'm sorry. I've just been here off and on. When I need to cool off," Roxas replied from behind him. "I can order some food, though. That sushi place we always used to get take out from delivers now." Riku turned around in time to see Roxas thumbing away at a small brick -- a phone. He'd seen the guards messing around on them when they should have been watching the prisoners. Some inane game. He craned over Roxas, watching him messing around. Roxas looked up with a start. "Oh! Right. This is a cell phone. iPhone, to be particular!" Riku looked at him for a moment, those green eyes staring straight at him. "Oh. You...probably knew that." He scratched the back of his head. "Right. Sorry." He tapped a couple of other icons, before giving a small nod. "All right, it's ordered. I uh...you want me to catch you up on things?"

Riku stared at the phone for a moment, as if waiting for something. But he looked up at Roxas, and gave a nod of his own. "Yes, please," he replied. Roxas led the way out of the kitchen this time. Riku took a moment, looking around at the room. It was speckless. At least Roxas was keeping the place clean.

“I don't know where everyone is at the moment," Roxas called back to him as Riku made his way out of the kitchen. He walked into the living room, which looked much like he remembered; very plain, not even a television to distract the occupant. No, instead there were books all around, cracked open and adorning surfaces. There were a few that he didn't seem to remember, some that were clearly newer. At least Roxas was keeping up Riku's own habits. He half-expected the apartment to have gotten a television and a few video game consoles, when he realized that Roxas was here. The couch was still up against the wall, with a chair to the side of it. The windows were boarded up as Riku had done all those years ago, to make it look like the place was uninhabited.

“I figured," Riku replied. "I...can only hope that some of them were able to get out." There was a particular person that he had in mind, but Roxas clearly knew better than to mention it straight off the bat.

“Yeah, well. Not everyone got out," Roxas mentioned, positioning himself on the couch. Riku took the chair, leaning in. "After everything that happened, the families restructured massively." He hesitated for a moment. Those eyes darted away from Riku for a moment, staring off at something else in the distance. "Vanitas got his own family. The, uh... _Kurashiki-kai_." Riku said nothing -- but he reached out, putting a hand on Roxas's knee. Roxas's eyes refocused and moved back to him.

“What about Kairi?" Riku asked.

"Kairi's safe," Roxas stated. "She's...away at the moment. After what happened seven years ago, she decided to get out of the city. I get postcards from her every so often, but she makes sure not to say where she is at any given moment. Just to be safe, you know?" He gave a small nod to himself, as if proud of the way that Kairi was handling it. Riku was too.

Then there came the silence. Riku's mouth opened and shut a couple of times, but it was his time to look away from Roxas. His mouth dried out almost immediately at the idea of saying his name, possibly for the first time in all those years. "What about...?"

"He's fine," Roxas cut in, making sure Riku wouldn't have to say it. His voice had gone quiet. "I don't know where he is at the moment. But he's safe. I haven't heard of anyone matching his description turning up at any of the local morgues." He gave a small nod. "I mean...I don't know for sure. My gut is saying he's still alive, though, and I don't have any reason to doubt it." He reached up for a moment and gave a sheepish scratch to the back of his spiky hair. "He's fine. I'm sure of it."

"Good." That's all Riku could say. He couldn't say his name, so of course he couldn't find the courage to say anything more than that. He just gave a small nod to himself.

There was a knock at the door at that moment. Riku looked up in alarm, his hand instinctively moving to his waistband -- before he remembered that he didn't have anything on him. He looked over at Roxas for a moment. "Could that possibly be the food?" he asked.

"It's not normally that fast." Roxas stood up and walked over to the door, crouching over, picking up the gun from the floor, and standing up in one fluid movement. Riku couldn't help but be mildly impressed by the action. He stepped forward, pushing the hammer back and the safety off, while Riku stood up and moved to his flank.

The knock came again, a bit more urgent this time. Roxas reached up to unlock the door once again and slid it open. Riku cursed himself for not fixing the viewhole before he left, or even installing a slide lock and chain. Not like he knew that he was going to be going to prison. Roxas slid the door open enough to see who it was -- and Riku could see those tell-tale black locks.

"Vanitas."

Before Roxas could do anything, a pale hand shot out and forced the door open the rest of the way, revealing him standing in the dim light of the hallway. Clad in a black suit with a white shirt and skinny tie, along with a small pin on his lapel. He reached up and adjusted his tie, those lips curling up into a smirk.

"I was sitting by my phone, waiting for your call, Riku. Decided to just visit myself. You know how impatient I can be."

"I don't recall inviting you in, Vanitas," Riku replied, not giving much more to the raven-haired man. The guy seemed to have barely aged since he had last seen him; he was still tall, though not as tall as Riku, and those black spikes defied gravity. And his face...Riku didn't want to think about it. He'd seen that face in a lot of different situations, none of them good. "Or even inviting you over. Perhaps you should have just kept waiting."

Vanitas let out a laugh. "Oh, look at that. You haven't dulled your tongue at all. The boss almost put money down, saying that you'd have learned your place while you were in prison, but I thought that was like taking a candy from a baby," he remarked. Those golden eyes moved down suddenly, alighting upon Roxas, meeting his sapphire hues long enough to send crimson to the blonde's cheeks. Riku reached out and gripped the door, pulling it open the rest of the way, that way Roxas wouldn't be in between the two of them; Roxas could easily hide behing Riku, if he so wanted. Sure enough, Roxas began to step backwards, away from Vanitas. A flare of something crossed Vanitas's face, but Riku wasn't able to place it; it moved too fast for him.

"What do you want, Vanitas?" Riku stated. "Cut to the point."

Vanitas tore his eyes away from Roxas, looking back up to Riku. Thankfully, Riku was still a bit taller than him, but Riku also wasn't dumb enough to think that would give him an actual advantage over the raven-haired young man.

"Honestly, the thing I'm most interested in is your hair. How did you keep it so beautifully silver through those past years? You had blondie over here smuggle you hair dye up his ass?" His eyes moved away from Riku, once again looking straight past him over to Roxas, who recoiled slightly from the look. "Seems that putting things up there is the only thing he's good for."

Riku stepped back. "I'm going to shut the door on you now, Vanitas," he stated. "I'm a civilian now. There's nothing you can do." His hand began to push forwards -- but Vanitas's hand stopped it, along with his foot.

"The boss wants to see you," Vanitas finally uttered. "Told me to come get you. Did you really think your release would go under the boss's nose?" He sneered at Riku. "You're even more dumb than you look, if that's the case. And trust me, you look pretty dumb."

"Why?"

"How the fuck should I know?" Vanitas shot back. "He told me to come get you. That's all I got. Honestly, I'm tired of these dumb fetch quests that he sends me on, but you? I had to come see you." Those red lips began to curl up. "I figured that Roxas would spill the beans. Order for two." He gave a small shrug. "I have a car waiting downstairs. All of this -- all for you. Why? I have no idea. But the boss signs my checks, so I would be nothing less than a sheer dumbass for going against him." He gave a small shrug. "You would do well to remember the same. Come on, Riku." With that, he began to turn away and walk down the hallway.

Riku gave a roll of his eyes. "And?"

Vanitas stopped. Looked back. "And what?"

"Why should I come?" he asked. "I'm fine here. I don't have to do anything. I'm a civilian."

Vanitas's lips curled up even more at that comment. "You seem to be confused on who you're dealing with," he replied simply. "You may be a civilian now, but you weren't always. Means you're not exactly innocent, are you?" He paused for a moment. "Besides. I'm the welcome wagon. If I have to start trying to force you...well. Roxas would be the one who would get it first, wouldn't he? Then again, I don't know exactly how much he would mind it."

Roxas stiffened, but Riku's arm stuck out suddenly -- holding him back. Riku said nothing for a moment, instead taking a moment to study that face. "All right. I'll come," he finally relented.

"Riku!" Roxas suddenly shouted, but Riku shook his head to himself.

"I'll be fine. You just stick around here. Get the food when it comes. I'll be back in no time." Before Roxas could say anything to the contrary, Riku stepped out the door and slammed it closed suddenly.

Vanitas looked up at him, a look of amusement dancing across those pale red lips. "Look at you," he remarked. "Still just as hot and commanding as you always were."

"Shut up, Vanitas."

"No, how about you shut up." The statement came out of Vanitas as almost a knee-jerk reaction. "I've got my own family now, as I'm sure blondie over there told you. I have more money passing through my hands than most people see in their entire lives. You? You were the Dragon. But now you're just a civilian -- and a civilian has no one backing him up. So shut your damn mouth, before I'm forced to shut it for you."

That was more of a talk back than Riku was expecting. Way more. He didn't know what to say; he just stepped forward. Vanitas gave a small shake of his head to himself, before he started to lead the way down the staircase and out to the street. Riku followed. Vanitas was right. He wasn't in the same place he was seven years ago, where he had a group of people who would back him up in situations like this. He was alone this time around, and that hurt him far more than anything else Vanitas could have said.

Vanitas led the way over to an inconspicuous black car waiting outside of the apartment and opened the door so Riku would slide in first. Riku stared at the door, before he looked back at the building -- at the boarded up window, that Roxas was surely trying to find a way to look out through. Roxas was good, he wouldn't try and push to save him. Considering the relationship he had with Vanitas, he was sure that Roxas wouldn't try, nor did he want Roxas to. He turned back to the car and stepped in, taking the farther seat. Vanitas followed him in, closing the door with a resounding _thud_. Riku didn't even bother to look up; his eyes were glued outside of the car, as if he was still taking in the surroundings.

Vanitas let out a sigh. "You going to be like this the entire time?" he asked, peering down at his nails. "I'm glad to talk at you, if that's the case. Or leave you in silence. I'm the one who has answers, so maybe you should be asking me shit."

Riku tore his eyes away from the sights as the car began to move, looking over at the raven-haired youth sitting next to him. He had a point. His catch-up routine with Roxas had gotten interrupted, and he still had several burning questions. "All right," Riku said reluctantly, aquamarine eyes looking at the head of the newly formed _Kurashiki-kai_. "Catch me up, then."

"Ah, never mind," Vanitas said suddenly, completely going against what he had just said. Riku wasn't surprised in the slightest; this was the man that he had known. The amount of things that he'd seen Vanitas do in his time...he shivered just to think about. Then again, hadn't he done worse? "That sounds boring."

The car fell into silence at that. Riku looked back out the window, watching the sights roll by. They were slowly making their way out of the city. Riku had only been to the headquarters a couple of times in the past, and that had been...many years ago. His own memory likely wouldn't stand the test of time. But there was something else that was on his mind. Something more pressing.

"Vanitas. What do I have to do in order to get you to leave Roxas alone?" The question came out quiet, yet firm. Vanitas actually looked up at him, a mild look of surprise crossing his face for a moment, before vanishing. "Tell me. Money? I can give that to you. A favor? Fine." He hadn't turned to look at him, but Riku just watched Vanitas's reflection in the tinted glass. A series of emotions rolled through Vanitas's face, before he managed to finally get it back into a placid look; that bored one, that he had perfected.

"Nothing," Vanitas stated. "Nothing you could do would make me leave him alone." Riku turned to look at him, but Vanitas's face betrayed nothing.

"You're...disgusting," Riku managed. "You won't leave him alone, after what you did to him." That sentence seemed to have a strange effect on Vanitas -- his brows arched, and the surprise came back for longer this time. Before finally, realization and epiphany.

"Did he tell you that I raped him, back then?" Vanitas asked, the corner of his lips quirking up. "Is that where this is coming from?" The surprise and realization had abated, replaced with sheer amusement.

Riku stopped. Had he remembered wrong? No, he couldn't have remembered that wrong. "Yes. He said you followed him on his way home that night. Forced your way in," he uttered, staring at Vanitas. He was going to continue, but he was cut off -- by laughter. Vanitas's laughter. Peals of laughter echoed through the car, sending Riku into waves of confusion.

"Oh-oh, I'm sorry, did you have more to that story?" Vanitas asked as he finally managed to get his laughter under control. "I figured that was enough bullshit, but...clearly not. Man. You bought that shit?" Riku's mouth answered it for him; it just hung open. "Jeez. I didn't realize you were that damn gullible." Vanitas reached up to scratch his head, shaking his head to himself. "You're something else, Riku. Really."

"Are you calling him a liar?" Riku finally managed.

Vanitas's golden eyes raised, meeting with Riku's aquamarine ones. "Yes," he stated simply. "He lied. I don't know why he lied -- probably because of some shame, though I'm clearly out of his league -- but he lied to you, Riku." His lips curled up more, revealing that characteristic smirk. "I don't need to rape anyone. I can get what I want, whenever I want. If I had sex with Roxas...it was because he wanted it too."

"That's bullshit," Riku said. "Roxas wouldn't have lied to me. Not about something like that."

Vanitas let out another peal of laughter. "Oh man. This is _rich_." He leaned forward in his seat. "I don't know what to tell you, Riku. You can trust me, or you can trust him. Granted, I'm sure you're going to trust him." He paused for a moment. "When you get a chance, ask him how Okinawa was."

Riku stared at him. "He's never been to Okinawa," he replied.

"Well, when you weren't a little jailbird, sure, he'd never been to Okinawa," Vanitas replied, his eyes returning to peer at his nails again. "But a lot has happened in the last seven years, Riku. It's a lot of time. Nothing's like you remember it being." He grinned a bit to himself. "Then again, it doesn't seem like you had much of an idea of what was going on before then anyway."

That shut the conversation down completely. Riku had nothing to say to that. Thankfully, the car had pulled over to the headquarters. "We're here," Vanitas said, but he didn't have to. Riku remembered it better than he thought he had.

It was almost historical in size. Having been passed on from generation to generation, the building was classic Japanese architecture, spread across more land than Riku could even count. It was almost comparable to a museum; with a courtyard in front, leading up to the massive structure. There had been a fountain installed, however, since Riku had last been here. It was off to the left side of the building. The thing that caught Riku's eye, though, was the crowd. There was a massive swath of people in suits, each on either side of the doorway, creating a pathway leading from the door of the car all the way to the entrance to the building. It went on farther than Riku could count.

A reminder, or even an example, of the fact that there would be no division among the family.

It was also an effective threat. Riku was reminded by the sight that he was a guest here; he was not longer part of this family. They were no longer his clansmen. They had no problem cutting him down if he caused any problems, something that Riku was...painfully aware of.

The door opened suddenly. Rather than hesitate any longer, Riku stepped out of the car and into the bright sunlight, beaming down. The heat of summer was clearly getting to the men as they stood, the sweat dripping off their brows, practically in unison. But none of them broke ranks; none of them tried to shuck the black jackets or roll up their sleeves, or even just take a moment to raise an arm in order to wipe their brow of the sweat that shimmered in the bright summer light. Riku looked at them all as they stood there, looking straight ahead. A sight that would normally only be used to greet dignitaries from other clans, or when all of the major families of the clan had come together for a meeting. Or a funeral.

"He really pulled out all the stops for you." Vanitas's voice came from his side, and it took all of Riku's willpower to keep himself from jumping or trying to hit him. He didn't even hear the car door slam. Instead, he managed to keep a placid face, his emotions completely stripped from the way he was holding himself, let alone from his face. "The prodigal son returns, or some bullshit like that. After biting his hand." Riku could hear him roll his eyes. "Let's go. We're keeping him waiting."

Without waiting another moment, Vanitas began to walk forward. Riku, after a moment of hesitation, followed after him. The men didn't budge from their spots; they stood there, their hands remaining at their sides. He couldn't help but think about what they could have been told, what they were thinking about. He could practically hear the title on their unmoving lips. "The Demon of Saitou." Riku's face screwed up into a small grimace at his former title. He was hoping to have a bit more time before ending up this far in his old path again, but he was expecting nothing less than this.

They walked up the path created by the men, the only sound being the wind on the air, rustling the leaves on the trees, and the faint splashing of the fountain as it operated. The clacking of their dress shoes on the concrete broke through the air like gunshots, yet the men still didn't budge. They were trained well, it was clear. Riku was vaguely impressed.

Finally, they reached the door to the building and walked through, Vanitas opening it and barely holding it open long enough for Riku to get it. It was just as plush and extravagant as he remembered; a chandelier hung from the main atrium, with a massive staircase in the middle leading straight up to the second floor. Hanging from banners from the second floor, above doorways on the first floor, were the symbol for the clan, shown big enough for anyone to be able to see. Vanitas led him up the red carpet and up the staircase, not bothering to say anything. RIku didn't need to hear anything. He knew the place well enough at this point; the memories were attacking him, practically indistinguishable from reality. He kept his eyes from wandering; if he looked too far to the side, he would surely see areas that would have opened the floodgates on his memories, and he would have been lost to them. No, he had to keep moving. And move he did.

Vanitas led him to the second floor and into the East Wing of the mansion, taking him down a couple of hallways and making a few turns before he finally brought Riku to a large, ornate set of wooden doors. The clan's symbol was carved into them, ornately done and massive. Vanitas moved to the side. Riku looked over at him for a moment.

"Are you not coming in?" he asked.

The corners of Vanitas's lips curled up. "No, I'm not invited. He wanted to speak to you privately," he replied simply. He still made no move, however, leaving Riku to reach up and knock on the door himself.

"Come in."

The voice nearly sent shivers through Riku's spine. He looked over at Vanitas for a moment to remind him of why he couldn't let it, before he opened the door slowly and slipped into the room.

It was a conference room of sorts. There were various seats around a table -- 12, to be exact. Not counting the one at the head of the table, which was easily the most ornately designed and beautiful. And the only one that was occupied, by a face that Riku didn't ever want to see again.

"Xehanort." There was no pretense of formality. There was no need. The old man smiled at the view of Riku.

He looked just as Riku last remembered him. Old as sin, bald, with a small beard and barely visible eyebrows. He was wearing a black _hakama_ , though that was all that Riku could see from his perspective.

"Riku," Xehanort replied. "It's been a while."

"It has." Thankfully, Riku seemed to have remembered to be polite; he switched back into formal speech at this point.

"The last I heard of you was --"

"Sir. Respectfully, we both remember when we last spoke," Riku interrupted. "I would like to talk about what brings me here today. I thought my exile from the family would be permanent."

Xehanort looked at him for a moment, appraising him -- before he burst into laughter. "You are just as insolent and impatient as I remember," he replied wistfully. "But that's fine. We can skip the memories for the moment, and focus on what brings you here." He gave a small nod to himself. Those golden eyes looked up and met aquamarine across the table. "I would like to invite you back."

Riku's heart skipped a beat. "I...think I misheard you. Did you just...invite me back?"

"You heard me correctly," Xehanort replied. "We...still have a small power vacuum, if I'm being honest. We have yet to recover from Ansem's death, all of those years ago. The Saitou family has yet to find stability. You know the most about the family, and about the territory that they are in charge of. I wouldn't be able to give you full control of the family from the outset, of course; the family members would revolt. But if you get back to work and show that you are still the Demon of Saitou...I don't see why you wouldn't be able to take the family over entirely. Claim it as yours, as it should have been in the first place."

Riku couldn't find any words to say. How could he? This was far from his expectation. Or was it? He looked up at Xehanort -- and realization flickered across those bemused features. "You want Kairi," he uttered.

"No, I don't." Xehanort almost sounded...bored. "If I wanted her, I would have her. I know where she is. I know where Sora is. I know where everyone is at any given moment." Riku managed to keep himself from betraying his reaction to the names. "I don't want her. I want you, Riku. Together, we can reclaim our proper place as the most powerful clan in Japan. We can even expand into other countries." His gaze never wavered from Riku's. "What do you say?"

"No."

The word was such a split-second reaction, he didn't even realize he had said anything.

"Pardon me?" Xehanort asked.

"I said, no," Riku repeated slowly. "I don't...want to be part of the family anymore. I want to be a civilian. So no."

Xehanort let out a small sigh. "I was worried you might say that. Because then, you're a civilian -- and you're a civilian who killed one of our own," Xehanort said. Riku couldn't help himself; he winced. "Or did you forget the fact that you were the one who killed Ansem? The head of your own family? We cannot let such actions stand. Retribution for our fallen family must be had."


End file.
